An 11-year-old girl, born in the USA into a family of Mexican immigrants, writes her autobiography to comply with a school assignment. In it, she emphasizes the advantages of being bilingual and bicultural, and of growing up in culturally rich, diverse surroundings. According to Mar a ?Da sensitive girl who speaks proudly of her cultural heritage?D Latinos are like the vanilla, the sugar, and the chocolate of U.S. culture] strong flavors because we have strong minds and hearts. Mar a?'s vibrant and warm story invite readers to reflect upon cultural and racial pride, self-acceptance, racial and gender equality, multiculturalism, writing as a key to self-understanding, and family ties.